Studio 360

American Icons

Superman

Kurt Andersen explores the history of Superman and why "The Man of Steel" remains as popular and elusive as ever.

Kryptonite

Clark Kent is Jewish? Who knew? Novelist Howard Jacobson explains why the essence of Superman may lie in the ruins of his homeland.

The Amazing Siegel & Shuster

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were teenagers when they sold the rights to Superman to DC Comics for $130. Biographer Gerard Jones and cartoonists Jules Feiffer and Art Spiegelman recall how the boy wonders from Cleveland were partially to blame for their own downfall.

1966 musical cast (Courtesy of Photofest)

Superman Sings!

Superman has existed in every form of media, from radio to TV to movies to a Broadway musical. Jocelyn Gonzales explains how the Man of Steel changed with each leap into a new medium.

Secret Identities

Why would the strongest man in the world pretend to be a super loser? Kurt explores the psychology of Clark Kent with help from "Superman Returns" director Bryan Singer.

Daily Planet

Clark Kent's career as a mild-mannered reporter for "a great metropolitan newspaper" was once a fitting parallel with Superman's battle for truth, justice and The American Way. Derek John looks at how times changed, inside and outside The Daily Planet.

Men in Tights

Superman's outfit is made from the fabric he was swaddled in when he crash-landed from Krypton. Margot Kidder, Brandon Routh and artist William Pope L.. Explore what it's like for mortal men to fill out the tights.

Superpower

Kurt and novelist Michael Chabon look at how Superman reflects a particularly American desire to merge astonishing power with good intentions and basic decency.

Get the Studio 360 Newsletter

Studio 360's American Icons is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: great ideas brought to life.

Studio 360 is a co-production of Public Radio International and WNYC New York Public Radio, and is funded in part by Ken and Lucy Lehman, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Lily Auchincloss Foundation. Studio 360's American Icons series is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Our series on creativity and science is supported in part by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Our series on Underground Heroes is supported in part by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.